Hearing Beyond Barriers

In environments where sound must be captured through solid barriers like walls, windows, or sealed enclosures, conventional microphones simply fail. Microphones rely on airborne sound, rendering them ineffective when the source is physically separated by materials that block or distort acoustic transmission. This article describes an approach based on structure-borne sound acquisition, combining surface-attached vibration sensors with advanced digital signal processing.

MISCO, the Minnesota-based speaker manufacturer now celebrating over 75 years in operation, has announced the launch of new production lines using collaborative robotics (cobot) for microspeaker manufacturing at its Energy Park facility. This development positions MISCO as the first US manufacturer to mass-produce microspeakers — audio components under two inches in diameter — using cobot technology.

Infineon Technologies has made significant progress in developing the technology for capacitive micromechanical ultrasonic transducers (CMUT). Infineon’s CMUTsense ultrasonic technology achieves high signal-to-noise ratio and offers a high level of integration, enabling the company to manufacture the first integrated one-chip solution for MEMS-based ultrasonic transducers that offer a smaller footprint, improved performance, and higher functionality.

AntennaWare Ltd, specialists in solving body-blocking problems normally associated with close-range RF designs, has been awarded a European Patent which is expected to have important implications for enabling implantable devices within the human body. The new multi-mode antenna from AntennaWare enables reliable and continuous communications even in next-generation medical applications or from sensors inside obstructed structures.

USound announced its entrance into the health technology industry with the introduction of MEMS speakers that are fully compliant for MRI-compatible headphones and accessories. The Austrian developer of micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) loudspeakers and drivers, announced a collaboration with NordicNeuroLab to develop headphones fitted with USound MEMS drivers, which are suitable to protect patients from loud noises and relax them while inside Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machines, due to its non-magnetic properties.

Over the years Audeze has developed planar magnetic headphones that are highly praised by musicians, sound engineers, and audio/music enthusiasts for their high quality. The company, whose R&D and manufacturing center is based in Orange County, California, is now launching a new series of electrostatic headphones using a new transducer technology called CRBN, which Audeze believes will help improve patient comfort, and support neuroscience research.